In a shocking development, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified before Congress on Wednesday, July 24, expressing uncertainty about whether former President Donald Trump was hit by a bullet or shrapnel during the assassination attempt at his campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, on July 13, 2024. 

Wray’s comments have added more questions to an already complex investigation.

On July 13, 2024, Trump was addressing supporters at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, when shots rang out from a nearby rooftop. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks from Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, fired multiple rounds before being neutralized by Secret Service agents. The attack left one rally attendee dead and two others injured. Trump sustained an injury to his ear.

During his testimony, Wray mentioned the ongoing investigation’s uncertainty about the exact nature of Trump’s injury. “There’s some question about whether or not it’s a bullet or shrapnel that hit his ear,” Wray said. He confirmed that the FBI had accounted for all the bullets fired by Crooks but remained uncertain if the object that hit Trump was indeed a bullet.

Following Wray’s testimony, Trump did not hold back on his Truth Social platform. He criticized the FBI Director for suggesting there was any doubt about what hit him. Trump wrote …”FBI Director Christopher Wray told Congress yesterday that he wasn’t sure if I was hit by shrapnel, glass, or a bullet (the FBI never even checked!). Wrong!”

“There was no glass, there was no shrapnel. The hospital called it a ‘bullet wound to the ear,’ and that is what it was,” he wrote.

Trump, speaking at the Republican National Convention, recounted the event, stating, “I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear. I said to myself: ‘Wow, what was that? It can only be a bullet.’” Trump was seen wearing a dressing on his ear, which he claimed was due to the injury sustained during the attack.

In a statement to multiple media outlets, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung dismissed doubts about the nature of Trump’s injury. “Anyone who believes this conspiracy bs is either mentally deficient or willfully peddling falsehoods for political reasons,” Cheung said.

On July 20, Trump released a note from Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), a political ally and former White House physician, detailing the injury. Jackson described a “bullet track” that produced a 2cm wide wound, extending down to the cartilaginous surface of the ear. According to Jackson, no sutures were necessary, but the injury still required dressing due to intermittent bleeding.

The FBI has conducted over 400 interviews related to the assassination attempt and plans to hold many more, according to Wray.

The incident has further polarized opinions about the FBI and its leadership. House Speaker Mike Johnson criticized Wray’s testimony, stating, “Evidence shows it was a bullet that went through Trump’s ear, and Wray has a credibility problem.”